The water treatment chamber is the largest of the three intensive care rooms. Cold and uninviting, it has a tiled floor and partly tiled walls with a few drains to ensure any spillage can be easily handled. Multiple metal tubs are spread throughout the room, some of them flipped onto their sides or overturned to assist in draining, others left sitting flat. All of them, however, are covered in grime, and a number still have murky water floating in them. In the back of the water treatment room, through some heavy doors, is a shower and changing area for the doctors and nurses tasked with administering the treatment. Despite featuring a couple of wooden benches and hooks to hang clothes on, it is as unwelcoming as the rest of the area.

Clarice nodded slightly at Nates words. Smart dude. She finished examining her bandages, lowering her arm and fighting the urge to scratch at the bandages.

Thanks. Changing bandages is a bitch with only one hand.

Clarice kicked her feet out a little. Watching the water ripple as the tip of her shoe skimmed it.

I havent even considered it yet. I mean, I threw my shoe at the camera once, but I wasnt really thinking about what theyd do to me if I broke it. Ive known death was there, and a very big chance in shit that Ive done but I aint thought about punchin in my own ticket.

He continued to move in his seat, hanging his head down low and looking at the filthy water beneath them. It was a good question, and he needed a moment to respond.

When I was up at the bridge, I ran into Hazel and Jordan, and they stopped me. Im glad they did, at least I think so, but at the time I was actually really mad at them.

He looked upwards again, leaning back onto the tub. He hoped that Hazel and Jordan were still ok.

It took me days just to get up there, and then they got in the way, you know? So I ran away again later, but by then I was just kind of switched off. That was pretty awful, too 

So, in a way I guess, I was worried that might be what being dead is like? I know I shouldnt, I want to think most of us made it to Heaven, but I dont know if Ive been a good enough person for that. Good people mightve done more whilst they were here.

He brought his legs up to his chest, resting his head on his knees. Some water from his shoes ran down the side of the tub.

So, I guess I guess thats why I havent done it yet. I want to do something good first.

He looked back at Clarice, face looking a just a little lighter than it had been in days.

If heaven is fussy enough that you cant get in? Then it probably aint fucking worth it to begin with. But yeah. I getcha.

Death was fuckin scary. Thats really all there was to it. There were worse things, but those things were known. Death was scary because well, what the fuck happens?

Nate asked if there was anything she wanted to do. She felt like there was. But it all seemed the start of plans with no details as to what shed actually do once she completed step one.

Find Scout, and then ? Or find Ty, and then ? Find Kimiko, and then ? Did she try to make one of them win? Could she subject them to something that shed personally deemed worse than death? Or did it not matter, if it was what they wanted? Scout and Kimiko, in particular, theyd killed. They had to want to be the lucky one. Did she get Scout back home? So that her dad and Debbie wouldnt lose both daughters in one swoop?

Or did she keep going? Try and be the last standing herself, so that when the terrorists came to take her back home that maybe shed be able to do something, with them right in front of her. Worse than death, to be that lucky. And everyone else would have to die. But it was an option. A horrible, desperate option, but an option nonetheless.

She tried to vocalize something. One of her potential plans. But every time she thought about what to do, tried to detail it out, her mind went blank with everything but panic. Panic and nausea, that without coherent thoughts or plans was starting to seethe again, and this time it was rising.

...I wanna throw up, Clarice choked out.

A moment later, she did so. Coughing up what mostly amounted to sludgy water. That probably wasnt the answer that Nate wanted to hear, but it was really all she had.

Nate winced as Clarice puked her guts out, a wave of nausea rising up in his own throat. He didnt join her in puking, but it was an effort not to as the vomit mixed in with the dirty water below. How could a room full of rotting corpses smell even worse?

Composing himself, he reached over to pat Clarice on the back, being careful to avoid her wounded shoulder. Better in than out, thats what my mom always said. He offered, along with a comforting smile, but the concern was still written over his face. If Clarice really was ill, well, what could he do?

Do you want a drink? he asked, acting on the only idea he had. He reached into Tobys bag, pulling out one of his few remaining water bottles and holding it out. It wasnt much, but it was better than doing nothing.

I yeah. I really do, Clarice croaked, as she watched the vomit dissolve into the water at their feet, quickly becoming indistinguishable.

Over the next few minutes she ended up draining the bottle. In contrast to the disgusting, sludgy water shed been drinking earlier, the warm bottled water felt like the most wonderful, godly liquid that had ever touched her lips. Water that, off the island, would have needed to be stuck in the fridge for a bit before it was refreshing again. Perspective was funny like that.

She did feel a little better. Even if there was still that part of her screaming that she was a moron, that she had no plan, that she might have very well killed Kizi well, at least she was hydrated. She didnt want to puke anymore, and her mouth didnt taste like mushrooms and mud.

Shed take what little victories she could get at this stage.

Thanks, she finally said again. She looked at the now empty bottle. ...Shit, didnt mean to drink the whole thing.

She put the empty bottle in her bag. Nate seemed to have enough water on him for now, and maybe there was somewhere she could fill the bottle up. Somewhere that at least wasnt the horrific mess this area was.

I Ive got some people to find, and this room aint getting any better. Im gonna get going. Youre free to follow, but well, its up to you. Cant promise Im going anywhere good.

Nate watched Clarice without a word as she went through one of his few remaining water bottles. Naturally, he didnt object, because Clarice obviously needed it more than he did. He probably wouldn't get through that much more water anyway, considering however much longer he had left.

He nodded in response to Clarices plans to leave, but didnt reply immediately. He thought about what might happen, if he went with yet another person. Would he wander off again? Could he trust himself not to ditch Clarice when he felt like things were getting hard?

Maybe, maybe not. But that wasnt why he decided not to follow her. There was still someone he had to meet, and he wasnt sure he wanted to bring someone along with him. Maybe he didnt want them to be put in harms way; maybe he just didnt want to slow them down. He wasnt sure why, but he could at least make his mind up.

Thanks, but Im going to look around here some more. I hope you find who youre looking for, though.

He offered her another smile. A sad one, as he thought about when they might next meet. Or rather, not.